Wonderland: Summer Changes Everything
by alemica2
Summary: As the last summer before everyone heads off to college arrives, the gang try to decide on who they want to be and who they want to be with. Continuation of Wonderland: Struggles.
1. First Time for Everything

**A/N:** It's finally here! Sorry it's taken so long guys, I've been super busy the last couple of days. I hope all of you had an amazing Christmas and if I don't get to update before, Happy New Year! This one won't be as long as the others but it'll definitely start and end a lot of potential plot lines for the next and final part of this series! So please review and let me know what you think, I'll try to update as soon as possible!

* * *

A little over a week later, Jen, Aidan and the Banks' arrived at their beach house in California. Andria was staying with the Mendoza's and was going to fly in for Aidan's last game.

"Now, I have a couple of things to discuss with the two of you," Anna said, walking over to her son and his girlfriend. "I know you two lived together in South Carolina but that is _not _happening here, you got that?" She said and Jen and Aidan laughed. "Jen, there's an extra room for you upstairs, Aidan you can take your bedroom on this floor."

"Come on Mom, I'm not a child," he shook his head and she gave him a look. He sighed. "Fine, whatever."

"It's okay, Aidan," Jen looked at him. "It's probably better that way anyways, you need to focus."

"Exactly," Adam said, walking in with a few suitcases. "And Jen, as much as we love having you here with us, Aidan can't afford any distractions," he said and they all looked at him. "The playoffs are very important for your soccer career; you need to give it your absolute best and more."

"I know Dad," he nodded. "But don't worry, Jen isn't a distraction, I'm completely focused," he nodded and then took his duffle bag to his room.

Jen looked at them, shrugging sheepishly and then followed him into his room.

"I'm worried," Adam said to Anna. She laughed and shook her head as they continued to unpack.

* * *

"I can't believe I have to leave you for a whole month," Alex pouted, sitting on her bed in her dorm. Andy laughed and followed suit. "Boston's great and all but I wish you could come with me."

He smiled. "I do too but maybe it'll be good for us?" He said and she raised an eyebrow. "I mean, we spend every waking moment together, maybe it'll be good to have some time apart."

She looked at him. "Are you getting sick of me, Andrew Portman?"

He laughed. "That could never happen," he said, pulling her close. She smiled. "I'm going to miss you, there's no doubt about that but just think of how great the sex will be when you come back," he teased and she playfully hit him. He laughed. "I'm kidding but I think if we can survive dramatic ex-girlfriends and long-lost dads, we can survive a whole month apart."

She nodded and kissed him. "Did Sophia and Jared leave for Rome yet?"

"This morning," he nodded. "So you have nothing to worry about," he teased and she narrowed her eyes at him. "I'll probably just spend some time with my dad or something," she smiled. "Speaking of dads, have you talked to yours lately?" He asked and she looked at him. "Your real one, that is."

"Yeah, a few days ago actually," she nodded. "He's really excited to see me again."

He smiled. "When do you think you'll go visit him?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "My parents weren't too keen on me visiting him the first time around so who knows if they'll let me."

He nodded and then looked at her. "Well, if they don't, how about we go when you come back?" He suggested and she looked at him. "I mean, I didn't really get a chance to meet him when we went in April and I'd like to."

"Really?" She smiled, excitedly.

"Yeah, you seemed really happy when you came back so," he shrugged.

"You're the best," she kissed him. She pulled away and sighed. "I should probably finish packing before my flight tomorrow."

He laughed. "That can wait," he said, kissing her neck. She moaned and wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him as close as possible. "I really do love you, Andrew Portman," she whispered, placing her hand on his cheek.

He smiled and kissed her softly. They spent the rest of the day making love and packing Alex's things.

* * *

It was early morning in Rome the next day when Sophia woke up next to Jared in his dorm. She stretched her arms and crawled out of bed to open the blinds.

Jared squinted and groaned when the sun woke him up. "Sophia," he growled and she looked at him.

"Jared," she replied, placing her hand on her hip. He looked at her, demanding an explanation as to why she was waking him up so early. "This is not going to be like the last time I was here, okay?" She said and he sat up. "I actually want to _see _this beautiful country."

"That's great Soph, but can't it wait a couple of hours?" He asked. "We have the rest of the summer to explore."

"I know but I'm really excited right now," she said, sitting back on the bed. He groaned and she narrowed her eyes at him. "Please Jared?"

"Fine," he sighed and she smiled happily. "Join me in the shower?"

She nodded but then stopped. "Hold that thought," she said, putting her hand up. "Where's Massimo?"

He laughed. "Don't worry, he's picking up his sister at the train station, she's staying here for the weekend," he explained and she nodded. He stood up and pulled her towards him. "Apparently she's this hot supermodel or something."

"Oh really," she nodded, straddling him and sliding her robe off her shoulder. "Hotter than me?"

He stared at her and smirked. She slapped his arm and he laughed, placing his hands on her waist. "Definitely not."

She smiled. "Well, we better shower before they get here," she said and slowly kissed him.

She got up and walked into the bathroom. "Best girlfriend ever!" He shouted and she giggled.

* * *

Andria and Vince were at the beach back in Minnesota. Ever since he had taken care of her the night of the party, Andria was starting to see him differently, and that scared her tremendously.

"So, this is kind of weird, right?" She said, stealing a fry off his plate.

"What is?" He asked.

"Us, on a date," she said and he looked at her. "I mean, I've been on dates before but they've never really been like this, you know?"

He nodded. "I guess there's a first time for everything, huh?" She smiled. "Why haven't you?" She looked at him. "I mean, why haven't you been on a date like this before?"

"I guess I have," she shrugged. "With Nick but it was different," she shook her head. "Even from the beginning, he always had more feelings for me than I had for him," she explained. "I guess in my head I always knew it wasn't going to work out so I just self-destructed the relationship until he gave up on it," she stopped and then looked at him. "I'm sorry, it's just, that's the first time I've ever really said that out loud."

"It's okay," he nodded.

"No it's not," she shook her head. "I don't talk to anyone about this stuff," she told him. "Especially not guys I'm dating."

He laughed. "Well, like I said," she looked at him. "There's a first for everything."

She smiled and they continued eating in silence.


	2. Second Chance

**A/N:** Sorry it's taken me forever guys! I hope you all had a great NYE, and I wish you all the best for 2011! Keep the reviews coming, I love them!

* * *

Nora and Ethan were walking in the park with Emma. They had been spending a lot of time together, the three of them, as a family and Nora didn't want it any other way.

"So, have you spoken to Jesse?" He asked and she looked at him. She shook her head. "Don't you think you should?"

"No, actually," she said as she continued to push the stroller. "Despite the fact that I miss Jesse, I'm really happy with everything else in my life," he looked at her. "I have a beautiful baby girl, a family that loves and supports me and I have you," she said and he smiled. "It's hard to miss someone when you have so many other great things in your life, you know?"

He nodded. "I guess you're right."

"What about you?" She asked. "Are you happy?"

He looked at her. "It's like you said," he shrugged. "I have everything I need, I can't complain."

She smiled and then stopped the stroller. "I'm going to go take Emma to the swings, those are her favorite," she said and he laughed, watching them go.

"Everything I need," he whispered to himself, "Except you."

* * *

That night, in Rome, Jared and Sophia were meeting Massimo and his sister, Isabella for dinner.

"Is she really a supermodel or were you just trying to make me jealous?" Sophia asked, as they walked to a bistro a few blocks down from his dorm.

"No, I was serious," he nodded. "I've seen pictures," he said and she narrowed her eyes at him. He laughed. "Don't worry, nobody compares to you," he said, caressing her cheek with his hand. She smiled and held onto his arm.

"Do you think this was a good idea?" She asked and he looked at her. "Us coming here?"

"Of course," he nodded. "Don't you?"

"Yeah, I just," he looked at her. "I just kind of feel like we ran away from our problems," she said and he sighed.

"What problems?" He asked and she gave him a look. "So, he had feelings for you, it's not a big deal unless you feel the same way about him, which you've made perfectly clear that you don't," he said and she nodded. "So, I don't see the problem."

She nodded. "I guess you're right," she said and he smiled, kissing her forehead. "I love you, okay?"

He smiled. "Me too," he nodded and they walked into the bistro.

* * *

Andria was at yet another beach party that night when she ran into Vince.

"Where have you been?" He asked and she looked at him. "You haven't been answering my calls."

"I've been busy," she shrugged and he raised an eyebrow.

"Okay but I thought we," he stopped himself when she sighed.

"Why does this feel like a deja-vu?" She mumbled to herself and then looked up at him. "Look, Vince, I really care about you, okay? And I want to be there for you as much as I possibly can but I've been down this road before and I promised myself I would never go there again, at least not for now," he stared at her. "I like what we have, so why mess it up by putting a stupid label on it?"

He swallowed. "Um, yeah, you're right," he nodded.

She smiled. "So, I'll see you later then?"

"Yeah, sure," he nodded and walked away.

* * *

Ethan went to his parents' house that night to see Jade. With Casey still in prison and Jen and Aidan in California, he tried to spend as much time with her as possible.

He unlocked his door and was surprised to see Molly standing before him.

"Ethan, hi!" She said, just as surprised as he was.

"Molly," he stared at her. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm home for a few days," she nodded. "I just thought I'd visit with Jade," she explained and he nodded. "So, how've you been?"

"Good, I guess," he shrugged. "What about you?"

"Oh, everything's been great," she nodded. "I just recently signed with this really great record label and…" she stopped herself. "You probably don't want to hear about that stuff."

"No, of course I do," he nodded and she looked up at him. "I'm really happy you get to live your dream, Mol."

She smiled. "It's really good to hear you call me that again," she whispered and he smiled. "So anyways, I know this is long overdue but I'm really sorry for everything, it was just, horrible of me to do."

"It's okay, really," he shook his head. "Andy and I weren't really going anywhere anyways, that was all you."

She smiled. "Hey, maybe I can stay for a little while longer and we can catch up?" She offered and he looked at her. "I'm dying to see little Emma!"

"Well, she's actually with Nora right now," he said and Molly pouted. "But I wouldn't mind telling you all about her."

She smiled at him excitedly.

* * *

Andria stumbled to her car that night and fumbled with her keys. She was drunk and found it hard to even see straight, let alone drive.

"What are you doing?" She looked up and jumped when she saw Vince.

"Are you like, stalking me or something?" She asked and he gave her a look. "You just pop up whenever, and it's really creeping me out!"

"Andria," he walked over to her. "You're not driving."

"I can do whatever I want!" She exclaimed and he took her keys. She turned to face him. "Hey!"

"Come on," he shook his head. "What's going on with you?"

"Nothing," she rolled her eyes. "I just had a little too much to drink, that's all Nichols," she explained. "I don't need a knight in shining armor okay? So stop trying to be one."

"I'm not," he shook his head. "I'm trying to stop you from getting in a car and killing yourself."

"Well, maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing!" She said and he looked at her. "Come on, I hurt _everybody _that comes into my life."

"That's not true," he shook his head.

"I hurt you, didn't I?" She said and he sighed. "See, it's just what I do," she shrugged. "So, you might as well walk away before I hurt you even more."

"No," he said, walking closer to her. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Vince, stop this crap, please," she groaned. "I don't need this, okay? I don't _want _this."

"Let me take you home," he said and she shook her head.

"I'm staying at my aunt's, she'll murder me if I go home drunk," she said and then leaned on him. "But I wouldn't mind going back to your place, just the two of us."

"You're a walking contradiction, you know that?" He said and she looked at him.

"If I weren't drunk, I'd know what that means," she said and he laughed. "But right now, I don't so I'm just going to take it as a compliment."

"Come on," he said, walking her to his car.

* * *

After spending a few hours with Jade, Molly and Ethan were sitting in his room, discussing old times with a bottle of champagne.

"It feels like so long ago," she shook her head. "When we were together,"

"Yeah," he nodded. "It's weird to think how much has changed since then."

"Well, not too much," she shrugged and he looked at her. "I think this might be the champagne talking but… I miss you Ethan," she whispered and leaned in to kiss him but he pulled away.

"I can't," he shook his head but he looked at her. Truthfully, he missed her too. He took a deep breath and kissed her back. She got up and straddled him and they started making out. It was only until she reached for his belt buckle that he realized what he was doing and pulled away. "No, I'm sorry, I can't do this."

"It's okay," she sighed and pulled away. "It's not like I can't have meaningless sex with anyone else."

"It wouldn't be meaningless and you know it," he shook his head and she looked at him. "You just told me you missed me, Mol," he said and she lowered her eyes. "And I know your first single was written about me, how does it go again?"

"Okay, we don't need to go there!" She said, hitting him with a pillow. He laughed. "I write about stuff that I'm feeling and if I miss you, I'm going to write about it," she explained. "You were a big part of my life for a long time Ethan, I can't ignore that," she said and he nodded. They were quiet for a few minutes. "You're in love with her, aren't you?"

He looked at her and sighed. "What gave it away?"

"No guy would pass up sex with his famous singer/actress girlfriend if he wasn't still carrying the torch for someone else," she said and he sighed. "And there's the fact that you light up whenever you talk about her."

"I don't know what to do," he shook his head. "It's complicated."

"So un-complicate it," she said and he looked at her. "Tell her how you feel, it's that simple," she told him. "Take a chance, and if it doesn't work out then it wasn't meant to be but you can't keep that inside, Ethan."

He swallowed and lowered his eyes. "I guess you're right," she looked at him and smiled. "Thanks Mol, I never thought I'd be talking about this kind of stuff with you but… I'm glad you're here."

She smiled. "I'm glad too," she nodded and took his hand.


	3. Walking Away

**A/N:** Thanks for all the reviews, keep them coming please! New pictures up, check them out!

* * *

That morning in Rome, while Massimo was teaching Sophia how to make scrambled eggs, Jared was just waking up in his room. He rolled over and almost fell out of bed when he saw Massimo's sister, Isabella, standing before him, topless.

"What the hell?" He said, immediately sitting up and grabbing the first shirt he could find. He threw it in her direction but she simply laughed. "Uh, this is awkward."

"Why? You have never seen a naked woman before, Jared?" She asked and brought a pillow up to his face to keep from looking.

"No, I have," he said. "And she just happens to be in the other room and she could walk in at any moment."

"So?"

"She would probably get the wrong idea here," he said and she sighed. "So, if you could cover up, please."

She rolled her eyes and put the shirt he had given her on. "Maybe that would be good for you," she said and he looked at her. "You're too young to be so serious."

"Nah, Sophia's the one," he shook his head. "We've been through a lot, more than any couple ever should and we're still here."

She nodded and walked over to the mirror, looking at herself. "Massimo tells me she was sleeping with your brother."

"Well, Massimo has a big mouth," he said and she laughed. "And it wasn't like that, they weren't just sleeping together," he shook his head and she looked at him. "It's a long story but… we got through it."

She nodded. "I guess maybe young love does exist," she said and he shrugged. She walked over to the bathroom door. "Well, I am going in the shower and no, you cannot join me."

He gave her a look and she giggled, going into the bathroom. He shook his head and fell back onto the bed.

* * *

A few hours later, it was finally morning in Minnesota. Andria woke up once again in Vince's apartment. She groaned when she felt her head pounded and slowly sat up in his bed.

"Don't worry," he walked in. "You only puked about three times," he said and she looked at him. "And that was just in my car."

She narrowed her eyes at him, this was not what she needed right now. "I could really do without your sarcasm at the moment, thanks," she sighed. "And I don't need a baby sitter."

"Really?" He said and she looked at him. "Because if it weren't for me saving your ass last night, you'd be lying dead in a ditch somewhere,"

She crossed her arms over her chest. "I would have been fine," she said. "I don't need to be saved, okay? So you can stop coming to my rescue all the time."

"And if I don't, who will?"

"I can take care of myself," she said, coldly. "I always have and that's how it's always going to be," she stood up and started walking but she stumbled towards him. He caught her and she groaned.

"Are you sure about that?" He asked and she sighed, pushing him away.

"I'm going home," she informed him, walking to the door. She turned back to look at him. "And I'm calling _myself _a cab."

"Whatever," he shook his head and she walked out.

* * *

Nora was leaving the house with Emma to pick up some groceries when she bumped into Jesse on her front porch.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, holding her daughter closer, as if the toddler could protect her from whatever argument she knew her and Jesse were about to have.

"I miss you," he said and she lowered her eyes. "I just thought, I mean, you've had your space…"

"Jesse," she sighed, shaking her head. "I can't, okay?" He looked at her, confused. "I love you, I'm always going to love you but I've been selfish," she explained. "I need to put my daughter and my family first, before _anything_, including you," she continued. "And I appreciate everything you've done for me but for right now, I just, I can't be with you."

"But Nora,"

"No," she shook her head. "You have to do what I say, okay?" She said, trying her best to hold back tears. "I want you to live your life without me, I want you to move on," she said and he closed his eyes. She took a step towards him and held his hand. "And maybe one day we can be together again but right now…" she sighed. "It's just what's best okay?"

He looked at her. "Nora, I am _begging_ you not to do this," he said and she sighed.

"It's for the best," she said, caressing his cheek with her hand and then pulled away. "I'm sorry," she shook her head and went back inside her house. She put Emma in her playpen and fell onto the couch, crying. She knew it was for the best, so why did it hurt so much?

* * *

Jen and Aidan returned to the house late that night, after spending it at the beach. Adam and Anna were sitting in the kitchen, waiting for them.

"Where have you been?" Anna asked, worriedly as soon as the couple walked in.

"We were just at the beach," Aidan told them. "We lost track of time, I'm sorry it won't happen again."

"Your coach called," Adam said and his son sighed. "You missed practice tonight," he said and Jen looked at her boyfriend, surprised. She hadn't known he had a practice.

"It was just one practice," Aidan shrugged. "It's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal? Aidan, this is your future!" Adam yelled. "If you're not going to take this seriously then we might as well just pack up our bags and go home."

"I am taking this seriously!" Aidan said, defensively.

"Really? It doesn't seem like it," Adam said, looking at Jen.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Banks," she said. "We just lost track of time, like he said."

"I understand you two want to have fun but this isn't a vacation," Anna said, a little more calmly than her husband did. "You need to be more serious about this, Aidan, no more going out late and definitely no more missing practice."

He nodded and watched as his parents went upstairs. He sighed and went to the kitchen to get a drink.

"Why didn't you tell me, Aidan?" Jen asked, walking over to him. He looked at her.

"It was just one little practice, it's not a big deal," he shrugged, taking a sip of a water bottle. "My dad's just overreacting; you know how intense he gets about sports."

"I don't think he's overreacting Aidan, this is something you've been wanting you're whole life," she said and he looked at her. "I don't want to see you lose it because of me."

He smiled. "I'm not going to lose anything," he shook his head. "I just, I mean my first game is in two days and that's when I'll have to really be focused," he said. "It's just, we've been apart for so long I just wanted to spend as much time with you as possible."

She smiled softly. "That's sweet Aidan, but we have the rest of our lives to spend time together," she said. "This is your career we're talking about, your _dream_, I don't want to do anything to jeopardize it," she said. "So, maybe I should go home…"

"No way," he shook his head. "You're the one thing actually keeping me sane here, I wouldn't be able to do it without you," he said and she smiled. "So, stay, okay?"

"Okay," she nodded and kissed him. "You're going to be amazing."

"Yeah, I know," he shrugged teasingly. She whacked his chest and he laughed as they both headed to their separate bedrooms.


	4. Midnight Confessions

**A/N: **Here's the next chapter guys! I don't know if I'll be able to update within the next few days but I'll try my best. Keep the reviews coming!

* * *

Andria was hanging out with Nora at her house while Ethan spent the day with Emma and his parents.

"So, there's another party this weekend at the beach, you should totally come if you're not on mom duty," Andria said and Nora looked at her. "I love summer!"

"Andria, what are you doing about school?" She asked. "I mean, did you get into USC?"

"Ugh, do we have to talk about school now? It's summer!" She said and Nora sighed. "Let's talk about _boys, _how are you and Jesse?"

Nora looked at her. "Um, Jesse and I broke up, actually."

"What? Oh my God, why didn't you tell me?" She asked, concerned.

"It's not a big deal," she shook her head. Andria gave her friend a look. "Okay, it is a big deal but I don't have time to worry about that right now, I have to be there for my daughter, I can't have a break down because of some boy."

"Okay but Nora, you're allowed to hurt," she said and Nora looked at her. "Especially since Jesse was so good to you."

"I can't," Nora shook her head. "Not right now. I can deal with the hurt later."

"Nora…"

"Andria, please," she sighed. "I'll be fine, I promise okay?" She said and Andria nodded. "What about you? What's going on with that Vince guy?"

"Ugh, nothing," Andria groaned, rolling her eyes.

"Really?" Nora asked. "Because I heard you were dating."

"What?" Andria gasped. "Ugh, what is _wrong _with people? You go home with a guy a few times and suddenly you're dating!" She groaned and Nora laughed.

"So, you're not dating him then?" She asked and Andria looked at her.

"No, definitely not," she shook her head. "I'm one hundred percent single!"

* * *

Sophia and Jared came home that night after spending the day exploring Rome to find Isabella sprawled on the couch in tears. The curtains were all closed, it was almost pitch black in the room except for the light from the t.v and she was surrounded by junk food.

"Whoa, a supermodel eating something unhealthy?" Jared said, jokingly as he walked over to the windows. "Who knew that was even allowed?" Isabella swallowed.

"Jared," Sophia gave him a look, sensing that Isabella was upset over something.

"What?" He shrugged and the model narrowed her eyes at him. "What's with the darkness anyways?" He asked, opening up the blinds.

Isabella stood up angrily and marched into Massimo's room, slamming the door.

"Uh, okay?" Jared said, turning the t.v off. "What was that about?"

Sophia shrugged and Massimo came out of his room.

"I am so sorry about that," he said. "It's just… she just found out that her ex-fiancé is dating her worst enemy and she's being a bit of a drama queen," he rolled his eyes and they nodded. "I'll go stay with her; you two go ahead with the rest of your night, please."

He walked back in and they heard a lot of yelling in Italian between the two siblings.

"Do you understand what they're saying?" Sophia asked, walking over to him.

"A little," he nodded. "Massimo just told her she's pathetic and she's playing the whole 'woe is me' card," he translated and she nodded. "And now he told her to get off her ass and do something about it."

Sophia laughed. "So, she may be super hot but she's also super dramatic," she said and he looked at her. "What a catch."

He laughed. "Come here," he whispered and kissed her softly. They continued kissing and went into his bedroom.

* * *

In California, while Aidan was training, Anna had offered to take Jen shopping in Malibu. It was the first time Jen had ever been anywhere so expensive and she was loving it.

"So Jen," Anna said and the young girl looked at her. "I know you and Aidan have been dating for a while now and I feel like we should be getting to know each other more," she said and Jen nodded. "I regret not reaching out to you sooner; it's just been a little hectic with Adam's hockey in New York."

"It's okay, "Jen smiled. "I understand."

"The only girlfriend I've ever met of Aidan's was Melanie," she said and Jen swallowed. "I'm sorry, should I not bring that up?"

"No, it's okay," Jen shook her head. "That's all in the past and Mel's very happy with someone else now," Anna nodded. "I just, I hope you don't think any less of me because of that whole situation," she said and Anna looked at her. "Aidan and I kind of had a thing before but then he fell for my sister," she shrugged. "I was going through some hard stuff and Aidan was there for me, he still is," she explained. "I'm very happy with your son, Mrs. Banks and I'm really trying my best not to screw it up."

Anna smiled. "You know, you remind me a little of myself when I was your age," she said and Jen looked at her. "I was always afraid that I was going to ruin my relationship with Adam and I subconsciously did everything possible to make that happen but Adam, he stayed with me despite all of that and I can't even imagine being with anyone else but him," she explained and Jen smiled. "I don't know every detail of yours and Aidan's relationship but I can tell that you're both very serious about each other and you don't know how happy it makes me to see my son the way he is with you."

"I love him, a lot," she confessed, trying not to blush and Anna smiled.

"Well, I'm very glad," she nodded. She stopped walking around the store and looked at Jen. "Pick anything you want," she said and the teenager raised an eyebrow. "I don't believe in buying people's affections but I'm fairly certain that I've missed a birthday or something since you and Aidan have been together, I owe you."

"Oh no, you don't have do to that," she shook her head and Anna looked at her. "Anything I want?"

"Anything you want," she laughed and Jen squealed, looking around the store for something.

* * *

Later that night in Rome, Jared was having trouble sleeping. He slowly got out of bed and walked onto the balcony. He laughed when he saw Isabella smoking.

"A model that smokes," he nodded and she looked at him. "This just keeps getting better and better."

"I only smoke when I'm stressed," she informed him. "Which is most of the time," she shook her head and he laughed. "If you are only here to make fun of me, I suggest you leave."

He looked at her. "I heard about your ex," he said and she swallowed. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to make things worse for you."

"It's okay, he's clearly an idiot anyways," she shook her head and he raised an eyebrow. "I mean, look at me! I'm a famous model for God's sake!"

He laughed. "Well, you've got that right," he nodded and she looked at him.

"What about you?" She asked. "What is your story?"

"I don't have one," he shrugged. "I am who I am."

"And what about your brother sleeping with your precious Sophia?" She asked and he looked down at her. "How does that story go?"

He sighed. "It's a long story," he shook his head.

"We have plenty of time," she said, leaning back on her chair and he looked at her.

"Well, the first time me and Sophia were together, I was kind of a dick to her," he started. "My brother had feelings for her I guess, so she turned to him for comfort or whatever," he shook his head. "They were together for a little while but they broke up and then a few kisses between me and her and a broken heart for my brother later, here we are," he shrugged.

"That wasn't a very long story," she said and he looked at her. "You're not telling me everything."

"Why do you want to know, anyways?" He asked. "I mean, other than the fact that this is probably one of my least favorite things to talk about, you don't really know us so why do you care?"

"Maybe I am just wondering why a nice guy like you would stay with a girl who betrayed you with your brother," she said and he looked at her.

"Or maybe you just want to hear about my problems to make yourself feel better," he said and she shook her head. He laughed. "Well, you want to know the truth?" He asked and she nodded. "I love her, it's that simple."

"You are crazy," she rolled her eyes and he laughed, looking up at the stars.


	5. Denial

**A/N:** Sorry for taking forever guys, I was really busy over the weekend. Pretty important chapter, I hope you all like it! Keep the reviews coming!

* * *

"I can't believe you're leaving me here with _her_," Sophia whined, as she sat in Jared's bed while he got dressed.

"Hey, Isabella's not that bad," Jared defended and she looked at him.

"Yeah, I thought so too until she got naked in front you," she said, folding her arms over her chest.

"It's a foreign country Soph, everyone gets naked," he teased and she frowned. "Is someone jealous?"

"No, I'm actually at how she could be so shameless about it!" She said and he laughed.

"Yeah, you're definitely jealous," he nodded and she gave him a look. "Come on Soph, you know you have nothing to worry about."

"I'm not worried," she shook her head and he looked at her knowingly. She sighed. "It's just, with everything that's happened, I don't think another third party is what we need."

He nodded and walked over to her, sitting on the bed to face her. "You're right," he said and she looked at him. "And I know she can be a little flirty sometimes but it doesn't mean anything and you know that no matter how hard she tries, there's only one woman in the world that I love," he said, caressing her cheek. "And that's you."

She smiled and softly kissed him. "I wish you were staying here."

"I know," he nodded. "But Massimo and I have to travel to Naples for a lesson," he said and she nodded. "We'll be back by tomorrow and you'll finally get to see Rome, like you wanted."

"Yeah, I just wish I got to see it with you," she said and he smiled, standing up to put a shirt on. "Jared?" she said and he looked at her. "I feel like I don't say it enough but, I love you."

He smiled. "You say it plenty," he winked and she narrowed her eyes at him. He laughed and walked over to her, leaning down to kiss her. "I love you too, _Bellissima." _

"Mm, I love it when you speak Italian to me," she said, kissing his neck.

"Stop trying to seduce me, I have a bus to catch," he teased and she giggled.

"Just giving you something to look forward to when you get back," she shrugged and he kissed her one last time.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he nodded and left. She sighed and fell back on the bed, wondering what the rest of the day had in store for her.

* * *

Later that night, back in Minnesota, Andria was at yet another beach party except this time, she had promised herself she wouldn't get drunk.

She was walking around, looking for some of her friends when she saw Vince sitting by the fire. She sighed and turned around, bumping into someone. She looked up and was surprised to see Nick.

"Running away from something?" He asked and she looked at Vince then back at Nick, who followed her gaze. "Uh, or someone?"

"It's complicated," she shook her head and then looked up at him. "Hey, you're talking to me."

"Looks like I am," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets. "How've you been?"

"Good," she nodded. "Um, well actually, not so great…" she trailed and he looked at her concerned. "It's complicated," she sighed and he nodded. "What about you?"

"Good," he nodded. "Heading to USC in a couple of weeks,"

"Oh," she swallowed. "I, um, applied there too."

"Did you get in?" He asked but before she could come up with a lie, a football came flying in their direction. He laughed and picked it up. "Deja-vu," he said and she smiled as he tossed it back to the guys.

"Let's go talk somewhere," she said and he nodded, following her down the beach.

* * *

In California, Jen was eating a celebratory dinner at a fancy restaurant with the Banks' after Aidan's first win of the playoffs. She had gotten up to go to the bathroom but was quickly joined by Aidan near the kitchen.

"Aidan!" She giggled as he kissed her neck. "Come on," she whispered, pulling away a little.

"No, you come on," he kissed her. "I think we need to have our own celebration," he said and she laughed as he kissed her again.

"Mm, you know how much I want to," she said, kissing him back. "But you're parents are expecting me back any minute and we're kind of in the middle of a restaurant."

He sighed. "You're a total buzz kill," he said and she narrowed her eyes at him. "I miss you, I feel like we haven't seen each other in days."

"I know," she pouted. "But you've been so busy with training and stuff so," she shrugged.

"How about tomorrow then?" He asked and she looked at him. "We can spend the whole day _celebrating_," he winked and she laughed.

"Let's make it tonight," she said, pulling him closer. "I'll sneak into your bedroom."

"I love you," he said and she laughed. They kissed again.

"Well, I better go before your parents start getting suspicious," she said and he nodded. They kissed once more and she went back to their table.

* * *

After spending a whole day with Isabella, Sophia had come to realize that as Jared said, she wasn't horrible. Sophia had almost forgotten Isabella's constant need to flirt with her boyfriend and found that she was actually enjoying herself. Isabella had just finished opening up about her relationship with her ex-fiancé who was now engaged to her ex-best friend before the two girls had stopped to get _gelato_.

"So, your relationship with Jared," Isabella said and Sophia looked at her. "It is very serious, yes?"

"Um, yeah," Sophia nodded. "We've been together on and off for almost three years now."

"On and off?" Isabella asked.

"Yeah, we broke up and dated other people a couple of times," she explained.

"Why is that?" The model asked.

"Um, I don't know, it's complicated I guess," she said and Isabella gave her a look. "Fine, I fell for his brother and he semi-fell for the girl supplying him with drugs."

"Oh, Jared must have left out that last part," Isabella nodded.

"So you guys have talked about this already?" Sophia asked and Isabella nodded. Sophia sighed. "Okay, well Andy, Jared's brother, he and I just didn't work out," she shook her head. "He'll always be special to me but I'll always love Jared more."

"But you are still unhappy?" She asked and Sophia looked at her.

"No, I'm very happy with Jared, it's just…" she trailed. "There's this other guy, Ryan-"

"Another guy?" Isabella said. "Oh _Dio_!"

"No, it's not like that," she shook her head. "I mean, it is for him but not for me," she explained and Isabella looked at her. "He has feelings for me but that's probably just because I was there for him when his girlfriend broke up with him."

"So, you do not return the feelings?" Isabella asked.

"No," she shook her head. "Jared is the only person I want to be with."

"But?"

"But," Sophia sighed. "I've been thinking of Ryan lately, not romantically or anything, I just," she closed her eyes. "I want to know how he's doing, you know? I want to know that he's okay," she explained and Isabella nodded. "I can't believe I'm talking to you about this," she shook her head. "What's in this _gelato_ anyways?"

Isabella laughed. "Do you want to know what I think?" She asked and Sophia nodded. "There is a reason you are thinking of him, I do not know the reason but deep down, you do," she said and Sophia swallowed. "You're just not admitting it to yourself."

They kept walking and Sophia was quiet for the rest of the night.

* * *

"You think I should give him a chance, don't you?" Andria asked Nick. They were sitting on the beach, further away from the party.

"You seem to really like him Andria," he said. "And I've seen you push guys away before, hell, I _was _the guy," he said and she laughed. "I just don't want to see you unhappy and if you keep going down this road, you will be," he explained and she nodded. "I don't really know Vince and maybe he isn't the right guy for you but you'll never know if you don't give him the chance."

"Yeah," she nodded and they were quiet for a bit. She looked at him. "So, you and Abby, are you guys dating yet or what?"

He laughed. "I'm working on it," he nodded. "I've been hesitant though, see there was this really wild blond chick that I dated and she kind of broke my heart," he teased and he slapped his arm.

"Not funny, Nick!" She said and he laughed. "You know, I never did feel right about the way things ended between us."

"It's okay," he shrugged. "I mean, it wasn't okay then at the time but… I learned a lot," he said and she nodded. "So, what do you say, Banks?" She looked at him. "Friends?"

She smiled. "Friends," she nodded and they hugged.

* * *

A few days later, it was another game day for Aidan. The Banks' had already left and Jen had regretfully told them she couldn't make it because she was feeling sick, blaming it on something she ate. The truth was that she was standing in the bathroom freaking out because she had missed her period and had already thrown up that morning.

She took a deep breath and looked at herself in the mirror, ordering herself not to be pregnant. She grabbed her purse and headed out to buy a pregnancy test.


	6. Conclusions

**A/N:** Here's the next chapter! I hope you all like it, it's a pretty big one. Keep the reviews coming, I should have the next one up soon!

* * *

The next morning, Jen sat in her bed at the Banks' beach house. She hadn't taken the pregnancy test yet, she was too scared to. She knew she wasn't ready to be a mother and Aidan definitely wasn't ready to be a father, his soccer career was just starting to take off but she had seen what getting an abortion had done to Melanie. She knew it wasn't an option for her.

There was a knock at the door and she looked up nervously, Aidan walked in.

"Hey babe," he smiled, walking over to her with a mug. "I brought you some tea," he said, sitting next to her on the bed. She smiled softly and took it from him. "How are you feeling?"

"Not any better," she shook her head, taking a sip of the tea. "I think I'm gonna stay home again, I'm sorry," she told him, feeling extremely guilty but she knew she couldn't tell him she could possibly be pregnant a few hours before his next game.

"Okay," he nodded. "Are you sure it's just something you ate?" He asked ands he nodded. "Do you want to see a doctor? My mom can take you-"

"No," she quickly said, shaking her head. "It's really nothing too bad, I'm just feeling nauseous, that's all," she explained and he nodded. "I'll be fine."

"Okay, well I have to head to practice so, I'll see you tonight?" He asked and she nodded. He kissed her forehead and stood up to leave.

Once he was finally out of the room, Jen rested her head back on the headboard and sighed. She needed to take this pregnancy test but she didn't want to do it alone.

* * *

Andria was standing outside of Vince's apartment and starting knocking on the door. She had to hold back her excitement; she was finally going to take everyone's advice and tell Vince she wanted something serious between them.

The door finally opened and Vince appeared, seemingly surprised to see her. He quickly stepped out and closed the door behind him.

"Andria," he said, running his fingers through his short blond hair. "What are you doing here?"

"What's going on?" She said, narrowing her eyes at him.

"I asked you first," he said, stubbornly. She held back an eye roll.

"I came here to talk to you," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "But it seems like your busy with something else," she said, pushing past him and going into the apartment. He followed her. She laughed and wasn't surprised when she saw a half naked girl sitting on his couch. "Well that's just great."

"Oh don't pretend like you care," he said and she looked at him. "We're nothing serious, remember?" He mimicked her. "Besides, I saw you leave with Nick the other night so don't make me the bad guy here."

"I'm gonna go make breakfast," the girl said, glaring at Andria as she walked into the kitchen.

"He needed a ride home, okay? Nothing happened," she shook her head and he looked at her, skeptically. "But you're right, we _were _nothing serious and you had ever right to sleep with that girl or any girl really," she said and he raised an eyebrow. "I was being selfish with my feelings because I was scared but now I realize that I don't want to push people away anymore, I don't want to push you away," she said and he stared at her. "I want you, I want us."

He shook his head. "It's too late," he said and she looked at him. "I'm over you."

"Come on, Vince," she sighed. "No games, I'm being serious about this."

"So am I," he said, seriously. "You can't just shut people out and expect them to be there when you _finally _decide you're ready," he said and she swallowed. "It's great that you finally came to this realization, but I have someone waiting for me so if you'll please leave," he said, starting to close the door.

She nodded sadly and stood outside the apartment for a few moments, knowing it was too late for her and Vince. She sighed and walked out of the building.

* * *

Jen paced back and forth in her bedroom at the Banks'. She was holding the pregnancy test in her hands, staring at it. She hadn't taken it yet but she knew she had to as soon as possible.

She picked up her phone and dialed Jade's number; she needed her best friend if she couldn't have Aidan here with her.

Jade's recovery had gone smoothly for the most part, although there was still a chance the cancer could come back. She was mostly just sad because she missed Casey and now that Jen was in California, she was feeling lonelier than ever.

"Jen, hey!" She said, excitedly.

"I think I'm pregnant," Jen blurted out, almost feeling her best friend's jaw drop.

"Oh my God!" She finally spoke. "Have you taken a test?"

"No, that's why I'm calling you," Jen explained. "I have it in my hands right now, I'm just… I'm scared."

Jade nodded. "Okay, take a deep breath," she said and Jen did as she was told. "We're going to do this together."

* * *

"So, it looks like we have the house to ourselves tonight," Nora said, walking over to Ethan. "Dad and Tony have taken Emma for the night and Ryan's at a party," she rolled his eyes. "It's almost like he's lost control ever since Sophia left."

"Well, can you blame him?" Ethan said and she looked at him. "He put himself out there and she completely shut him down."

"Because she has a boyfriend who she loves." She shook her head. "Anyways, I think we should take advantage of the fact that we are sans baby tonight," she said, sitting next to him. "Whatever shall we do?"

"Maybe be honest with each other?" He said and she raised an eyebrow. "I know I'm not crazy thinking there's something between us, Nora." He said and she stared at him, wide-eyed. "Tell me you feel it too."

"Ethan…"

"Be honest, Nora," he said and she looked at him nervously. "Please."

"Of course I feel it," she whispered. "I'll always feel it, you were my first boyfriend, you're the father of my child," she shook her head. "I'll always have feelings for you."

"It's more than that for me," he said. "I love you Nora, I've always loved you and I want us to be together."

Nora stared at him. "I don't know what to say." She stood up.

"Come on, Nora," he said, standing up too. "You knew this was coming, you've known since two years ago when I told you how I felt, the feelings haven't gone away since then." He said and she swallowed. "Why do you think I ran off to Michigan?" He asked and she looked at him. "Because I didn't want to see you, it hurt too much to know that we could never be together again," he explained. "I love my daughter and that's the only reason I came back but it still hurts to be around you Nora," she closed her eyes. "I don't know what else to do other then tell you how I feel."

"Ethan," she took a deep breath. "I want to be with you too."

He stared at her in disbelief. "What?"

"You heard me," she smiled. "It may have taken me a while to realize it but I want to be with you." She said and he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I want us to be a family again."

He smiled and walked over to her, cupping her face in his hands. "Is this okay?" He asked and she nodded. He kissed her softly and she held him close. He pulled away and looked at her. "We have the whole house to ourselves tonight," he stated and she looked at him. "Whatever shall we do?"

"I can think of something," she smiled and kissed him. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist, still kissing him. He carried her up to her bedroom where they made love for the first time in three years.

* * *

A few hours later, Aidan and his family returned home from another game he had won. Instead of going out to celebrate though, he wanted to go home and check on Jen. He walked into her bedroom and saw her sitting on the floor, crying and holding a pregnancy test.

"Jen?" He walked over to her worriedly. "What the hell?"

"It's positive, Aidan," she sobbed and his eyes widened. She stood up and ran into his arms, hugging him close. "I'm so scared!"

Aidan stood there, almost frozen. He slowly brought his arms up to comfort her, knowing she needed it but all he could see was his career, his dream from when he was a young boy, going out the window.


	7. Leaving

**A/N: **Here's the next chapter, guys! A lot of big things happening to set up for the next chapter, which is also a big one! Keep the reviews coming please!

* * *

The next day, Jen and Aidan sat in silence in her room. They hadn't exactly spoken about what they were going to do now that they knew she was pregnant. They were both too much in shock to speak.

"I'm not getting an abortion," Jen finally spoke and he looked at her. "I'm not."

"Okay, I wasn't going to ask you to anyways," he shook his head.

"I know, I just wanted to say it out loud," she told him and he nodded. There was a knock at the door and they both looked up, Anna walked in.

"What are you two doing? You've been in here all day!" She said but stopped when she saw the look on their faces. "What's going on?"

Aidan looked at Jen. She took a deep breath and nodded. He stood up and took a few steps towards his mother. "Jen's pregnant, Mom."

"What?" Anna's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She quickly closed the door behind her so that Adam nor Noah was able to hear their conversation. "Are you sure?" She asked, worriedly, trying not to cry in front of the teenagers.

"I took a test and it was positive," Jen stood up, tears streaming down her face.

"Oh, honey!" Anna said, pulling her into a hug. "Sh, it's going to be okay," she soothed and looked up at Adam. "Do _not _tell your father until we know for sure, okay?" He nodded and she looked at Jen. "Listen honey, I'm going to call my friend, he's a doctor, the best in L.A, we're going to have you checked out okay?"

"Okay," Jen sobbed and looked up at her. "Thank-you," she whispered and Anna hugged her.

* * *

Ethan and Nora woke up next to each other in bed the next morning. She climbed on top of him and kissed him softly.

"Good morning," she smiled and he stared at her.

"Wow, so last night wasn't a dream," he said and she laughed.

"Nope," she said and kissed him again.

"I could get used to this." He said, pulling her close. He rested his hands on her waist and kissed her as she lay on top of him.

"No, we can't," she pulled away and he looked at her. She laughed. "I have to go pick up Emma from my dad's hotel."

"Remind me to thank your dad for moving to Paris and letting you live alone," he said and she laughed. "And hey, why don't we go pick Emma up together?" He asked and she looked at him. "Since we're a family again and all."

She smiled. "Okay," she nodded and they kissed again. They pulled away and stared into each other's eyes.

"You're so beautiful," he said, brushing a piece of hair off her face. She blushed. "Nora," he said and she looked at him. "Marry me."

She laughed. "Now you're talking crazy," she said, sliding off him and moving back to her side of the bed.

"I'm serious," he said and she looked at him. "I mean, what's stopping us? We love each other, we have a baby…" he trailed. "We probably should have done this three years ago."

"You're serious?" She asked and he nodded. She thought for a moment and then looked at him. "Do you really think you know that you want to marry me? We've been back together for barely a day!"

He laughed and sat up, facing her. "All I know and all that I need to know is that I love you and I love Emma," he said and she looked at him. "You're all that I could ever want and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Nora Elizabeth Conway," he said and she smiled. "So, what do you say?"

She looked at him and smiled. "Yes, I say yes!" she laughed and he kissed her hard on the mouth.

"I love you," he said and she smiled. "I can't believe we're engaged."

She laughed. "I… can't believe it either!" She giggled and kissed him again. They got dressed and headed out to pick up Emma. "I could get used to this, you know?" she said, looking at him.

He smiled. "Well, you better," he said. "Because I'm not going anywhere,"

* * *

Andria was at the beach that afternoon when she saw Ryan sitting on a towel, drinking a beer. She sighed and walked over to him, knowing he probably needed someone to talk to.

"Hey," she said, sitting down. He looked up at her.

"Hi," he said, taking another sip of his beer.

"How are you?" She asked.

"I'm fine?"

"Don't lie to me, Conway," she said and he raised an eyebrow. "Sophia is my best friend and cousin, do you really think she didn't tell me?"

He sighed. "Well, even if she did, why wouldn't I be fine?"

"Because you and I are very similar," she said and he gave her a look. "I'm serious, when we lose someone we care about, we tend to self-destruct, "she explained. "And I may have talked to Nora who said you weren't doing so well."

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "I knew the whole 'we are alike' thing was crap."

"It wasn't," she shook her head and he looked at her. "If you weren't self-destructing, you wouldn't be drinking at two in the afternoon."

"I'm a grown man, I can drink whenever I want." He said, taking another sip.

"Okay, lose the attitude," she said. "This isn't like you."

"Whatever," he shook his head. "You don't have to worry about me, I'm fine," he said. "Sophia made her choice when she ran off to Rome and I'm okay with that."

"Can you blame her?" She asked and he looked at her. "Your feelings for her totally came out of left field-"

"No, they didn't," he interrupted. "She has feelings for me too, she's just too scared to admit it."

"If that's what you want to think, then fine but like you said, Sophia made her choice," she said and he looked at her. "Even if she did have feelings for you, they clearly weren't strong enough to separate her from Jared so you need to move on."

"I can't, okay?" He said and she looked at him curiously. "Everybody leaves me," he sighed. "My dad to Paris, my mom's barely around, Gabby _married _someone else, Gia cheated on me and now Sophia… it just hurts, okay?"

Andria sighed at his drunken confession. "Ryan, you're an amazing guy, probably one of the best guys I know," she said and he looked at her sadly. "When the right girl comes along, the girl who won't leave you, everything you went through in the past will be worth it because you'll be so happy, you understand?"

He nodded and took a huge sip of his beer. He turned to Andria and leaned in towards her but she pushed him away.

"_I'm _not that girl, Ryan," she sighed.

"I'm sorry," he said, sadly. "I'm really sorry."

"I know," she nodded and held him. "Come on, let's get you home." She said, helping him up and into her car,

* * *

A little later that day, Jen was getting ready to leave for her doctor's appointment. Anna had called her friend and pulled some strings to get her an appointment as soon as possible.

"You ready?" Anna asked, walking into the room. Jen looked up at her and nodded. "What about you?" She asked, looking at Aidan.

"I can't come," he said and they both looked at him.

"What?" Jen said, her eyes widening. "What do you mean you can't come?"

"I'm going to give you two a minute," Anna nodded. "I'll be in the car." She said and walked out.

"I have a game in a couple of hours and I can't miss it, Jen," he said and she looked at him, shocked and angry. "I'm already on probation for missing that one practice, if I miss a game, I'm out."

"Aidan, this isn't about some stupid soccer game," she said and he looked at her. "This is about finding out if we're actually going to have a _baby, _a human live that you helped create!" She yelled and he looked away. "How could you not be there?"

"Because I'm freaking out, okay?" He said and she narrowed her eyes at him. "This was never part of the plan."

"And you think I _want _to be pregnant at eighteen?" She asked, rhetorically. He looked at her, her eyes were filling with tears. "Stop trying to make it seem like I did this on purpose!"

"I'm not, Jen but I just," he sighed. "I can't deal with this now! If I miss this game, everything I have worked so hard for will have been for nothing!" He said and she shook her head in disbelief. "I could lose my spot on the team and my career could be over forever."

"How about this; you could lose me as your girlfriend," she said and he looked at her. "And then our relationship could be over _forever._" She said angrily and he swallowed. "Whatever, don't even bother coming, I don't want you there." She said, pushing past him to go in the car with Anna.

Aidan stood there and sighed, not knowing what to do.

* * *

"Did you see the look on your Dad's face when we told him we were engaged?" Ethan asked as he Nora and Emma came home.

"It was hard to miss," she laughed. "I couldn't tell if he was happy or scared to death," she said and he laughed.

"I think happy," he nodded. "Since he and Tony can plan the wedding," he said and she laughed.

"I'm happy we told them," she said, hugging him. "It feels good to be open about it with someone."

He smiled. "We should have a party then," he said and she raised an eyebrow. "To announce our engagement, "

"Are you sure?" She asked. "We haven't even been engaged for a day!"

"So what?" He said. "I Want everyone to know."

She smiled and they kissed. "Okay, I guess we have an engagement party to plan!" She said and he laughed. She leaned down and picked up Emma. "Did you hear that, baby? Mommy and Daddy are getting married!"

"Really?" The three year old asked, excitedly. Nora nodded. "Like, a big wedding with dressed and flowers and balloons?"

"I don't know about balloons but yes to everything else," Nora laughed. "Are you really excited?"

"Yes, Mommy and Daddy can be together all the time now!" She said and Nora hugged her.

* * *

Sophia had woken up early in Rome and went out on the balcony while everyone was sleeping. She took out her cell phone and started going through her contact list. She only had a certain amount of minutes left for the month but she knew she needed to make this call.

"Hello?" She smiled upon hearing his familiar voice croak.

"Hi, Ryan," she said. "It's Sophia."

He sat up in his bed and scratched his head in confusion. He was definitely sober now. "Um, yeah, hi," he said, a little shocked that she was calling him.

"Sorry if it's late there, I woke up early and I just, I needed to call you." She said and he took a deep breath.

"It's okay," he nodded and everything went quite.

"Ryan, I miss you," She confessed. "Is that horrible of me to say?"

He smiled. "No, no it isn't," he said. "I miss you too."

* * *

That night in California, Aidan sat in the kitchen waiting for his mother and Jen to come back home. He had decided not to go to the appointment; he couldn't miss a game but found himself going crazy when he got home, knowing that he should have been there.

Anna walked into the kitchen and he stood up.

"What happened?" He asked, worriedly looking around the room for Jen. She probably didn't want to speak to him but he didn't care, he needed to apologize.

"False alarm," Anna said and he looked at her. "Jen isn't pregnant."

Aidan breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God," he said and Anna stared at him. "Well, where is she?"

"I'm sorry, Aidan," she said and he looked at her, confused. "She's gone."


	8. Making Plans

**A/N:** Here's the next one guys, I hope you like it! Keep the reviews coming!

* * *

About a week later, Nora and Ethan were sitting in the kitchen, deciding who they were going to invite to their engagement party.

"Well, I think Andria is on the outs with that Vince guy so we should invite Nick," she said and Ethan looked at her. "What?"

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" He asked.

"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?"

He laughed. "Isn't Nick dating that Abby girl?" He asked and she shrugged. "And I thought he and Andria were over forever ago."

"Yeah," she nodded. "But they were good together, and every couple deserves a second chance, right?" She said and he smiled.

"I guess so," he nodded and she kissed him.

"So, who else?" She said, going through the contact list on her cell phone. She stopped when she came to Jesse's name. She looked up at Ethan. "Jesse."

"Uh, what about him?" He asked and she stared at him, blankly. "You don't want to invite him, do you? 'Cause I think that would be kind of weird…"

"No, no," she shook her head. "I just, I have to tell him," she said and he sighed. "I have to Ethan, he can't hear it from anyone else but me and… I have to say goodbye."

He swallowed. "It's okay, I get it," he nodded and she kissed him again.

"Thank you," she smiled. "Should we invite Molly?" She asked. "I mean, I know she's a celebrity and all now but… would you want her there?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "We actually caught up when she was in town and she was very supportive of us," he said and she laughed. "So, yeah, I would love it if she was there."

"I'm really excited, you know?" She said and he nodded. "Would you maybe want to wait, though?" She asked and he looked at her. "I mean, I think we should wait until you're out of college to get married."

"What? Why?"

She looked at him. "Ever since I was a little girl, I always had this idea of what my perfect wedding would be like," she started. "And since I don't plan on getting divorced," she said and he laughed. "I want to get it right and plus you have school to finish and we'll be financially able in two years so…"

"That sounds like a plan to me," he nodded and she smiled. "Wait, so you want me to go back to school?" He asked and she looked at him. "How would that work?"

"I talked to my dad about it when you and Tony were discussing the best place to rent a tux," she laughed. "He said he'd call my Grandpa and pull some strings to get me into Michigan, I mean, it's not like my grades were horrible or anything," she explained and his eyes widened. "So, I was thinking we could move there, the three of us."

"Whoa, are you sure?" He asked, a little stunned.

"Yeah," she smiled. "I know this is happening really fast but I feel like everything's falling into place, you know?" She said and he nodded. "Like everything's happening how it should be."

He smiled. "I love you," he said, pulling her close. "So much and I'm so happy that all this is happening."

"Me too," she smiled and they kissed. He ran his hands up her back and they started making out. "No," she pulled away and he looked at her. "I have people to invite and you're on baby duty!" She said, as they heard Emma crying.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Is this a preview of what being married to you will be like? Because if it is, I'm gonna have to go…"

"Very funny," she playfully smacked his arm. "Come here," she smiled, pulling him close. She kissed him softly. "I'm really happy we're doing this."

He smiled. "Me too," he nodded and kissed her again. He then went upstairs to check on Emma.

Nora sat back in her chair. She looked down at her phone and saw Jesse's name, wondering how she was going to tell him.

* * *

Later that day, Jen had gone to Jade's to catch up. She had ignored every single one of Aidan's calls since she came home and would continue to do so. She couldn't believe he had abandoned her at a time when she needed him most, especially after all they had been through together.

"Are you sure coming home was the right thing to do?" Jade asked and Jen looked at her. "I mean, it sends a pretty big message and… you seem really unhappy."

"What was I supposed to do, Jade?" She asked. "He chose a _soccer _game over finding out if I was pregnant or not," he sighed. "That no only tells me that soccer is more important to him than I am but it also tells me that he's not serious about the future of our relationship."

"Oh, you can't really believe that, can you?" Jade asked. "Aidan's crazy about you! He's just being a stupid guy, you know that," she said and Jen lowered her eyes. "He'll realize what he did was wrong."

"Yeah and I have a funny feeling it'll be too late when he did," she sighed and Jade looked at her worriedly. "I'll be fine, I promise," she nodded. "I just need to get drunk and I'll be fine."

Jade laughed. "Well, I don't condone you getting drunk but you _will _have a good time with me this weekend and Ethan and Nora's engagement party."

Jen gasped and her eyes widened. "What?"

"Mhm," Jade nodded. "He's been living there for the past few months and all of a sudden they decide they want to be together and now the want to get married," she rolled her eyes.

"That's insane!" Jen gasped. "I can't believe I missed so much? I thought she was dating that Jesse guy?"

"Not anymore, I guess," Jade shrugged.

"Wow, I can't believe Ethan's getting married," Jen shook her head. "But, yeah, I'll totally be your date." She winked and Jade laughed.

* * *

Later that day, Nora asked Jesse to meet her at the park where they first officially met almost two years ago. He sat at one of the benches, eagerly waiting to see her. He thought maybe she wanted to get back together but he didn't want to get his hopes up.

He looked up and saw her walking towards him. He smiled and stood up. She smiled back and they hugged.

"God, I've missed you," he whispered and she closed her eyes. This was going to be harder than she imagined.

"Jesse," she sighed, pulling away and he looked at her. "We need to talk, okay?"

"Okay," he said, slowly. "What's going on?"

She took a deep breath. "Jesse, I love you, so much and I appreciate everything you've ever done for me and for my daughter but something happened recently that changed a lot in my life," she said and he looked at her.

"Stop beating around the bush, just say it," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets. He knew what was coming.

"Ethan and I got back together," she said and he looked at her sadly. He might have expected it but it still hurt. "We're… we're getting married, actually."

"Please tell me you're kidding," he said and she shook her head. Getting married was definitely _not _what he had expected. "Wh- I don't even know what to say?" He said and she swallowed. "How can you be getting married?"

"Jesse, I know this is hard for you to understand," she said and he looked at her, almost feeling betrayed. As far as he was concerned, he and Nora were still in a relationship, they still loved each other and now she was telling him she was marrying her ex-boyfriend. "This is what I want so if you could please respect that…"

"No, I won't," he shook his head and she sighed. "I know you Nora, this definitively isn't what you want."

"Jesse, please," she sighed. "I know you're hurt but I'm serious about this."

"How can this be what you want?" He asked. "I love you and you love me, it's supposed to be me and you."

"But it's not just me and you, Jesse, don't you understand that?" She said and he looked at her. "I have a daughter and she also has a father who I happen to love."

"Don't just marry Ethan because it's what's best for Emma," he shook his head. "Because eventually, it won't be, trust me."

"That is _not_ what I'm doing," she said, firmly. "I want to marry Ethan, I love him."

"Nora, you're lying to yourself," he shook his head. "You've always done what's best for everyone else, what everyone _else _wants," he said and she looked at him. "Do some thing for you, be selfish for once in your life and do what you want!"

She shook her head and her eyes filled with tears. She walked over to him and took his hand. "This is what I'm doing, whether you accept it or not," she said, barely above a whisper. "But it would really mean a lot to me if you came to our engagement party this weekend."

He snorted. "No thanks," he said, letting go of her hand and walking in the other direction.

"Jesse, please don't do this," she sobbed but he ignored her and kept walking. Nora closed her eyes as the tears came streaming down her face. She and Jesse were over for good now and she knew it.

* * *

It was the night before Nora's engagement party and Ryan was leaving a voicemail on her cell phone.

"Hey Nora, it's Ry, I'm really sorry but it looks like I'm not going to make it tomorrow," he sighed. "I know you really wanted me to be there but seeing you and Ethan so happy got me to thinking and…" he looked up. "I have some unfinished business in Rome to get to," he continued. "I hope you guys have a good time and I'll, uh, I'll see you when I get back, give a kiss to Emma for me."

He hung up the phone and hauled his bag over his shoulder. He walked into the airport and boarded his plane to Rome, Italy.


	9. It's A Long Story

**A/N:** HUGE chapter, which I am a little hesitant to post... I don't know, it just doesn't feel right to me? Mainly because I had Ryan/Sophia planned from the beginning as an IDEA but was never sure if I would actually go through with it. I still haven't decided but I do know where I'm going with that triangle, for the most part. I really hope you guys like this one, it's almost over! Keep the reviews coming, please!

* * *

Sophia and Jared were getting ready to go bed after a long day of touring Rome when there was a knock at the door. He looked up, confused and went to answer it but she stopped him.

"I'll get it," she nodded. "You just get ready for what you're gonna get when I come back."

He smirked and watched her go. She went to the door and opened it, completely shocked to see Ryan standing in front of her.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" She asked, pushing him out into the hallway.

He looked at her and smiled, it was definitely good to see her again. Before he could answer her though, they heard someone laughing behind them. They both turned around and saw Jared standing in the doorway.

"It's about time you showed up, Conway," he said, angrily and Ryan looked at him. "Don't waste your breath; Sophia made it perfectly clear she's not into you so you should probably just go now."

Ryan narrowed his eyes at his… former friend. He hated that he had hurt Jared but he came all the way to Rome for a reason, he wasn't going to back down. "That's not what it seemed like the other night on the phone," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. Sophia looked at him, eyes widened and Jared looked at him curiously. "When she told me she missed me."

"What the hell?" Jared said, turning to Sophia.

"Jared," she shook her head. "I didn't mean it like _that._"

"That's it," Jared shook his head and lunged forward towards Ryan. Sophia tried to come between them but soon enough, the two boys were fighting.

Massimo overhead the commotion and came running towards them, pulling Jared off Ryan before he could get another punch in.

"What is going on here?" Massimo yelled with his heavy Italian accent.

"What's going on is that _bastard _is trying to steal my girlfriend!" Jared shouted and everyone looked at him. "Well you know what Ryan? You can have her!" He exclaimed and Sophia's eyes widened as he glared at her. "I'm done with this!" He said and walked out onto the balcony, slamming the door.

Sophia quickly followed him outside. "Jared, what was that?"

"I can't do this anymore, Sophia," he said and she looked at him. "I love you so much but I'm never going to be enough for you, I never was!"

"What are you talking about?" She asked, tearfully. "Of course you're good enough for me! If I thought you weren't, I wouldn't have come to Rome with you!"

"Then do you always have feelings for other people, huh?" He asked. "First my brother and now my best friend," he said and she swallowed. "Why are you doing this to me, Soph?" He asked but she knew not to answer. She didn't even know _what _to answer. "I could have been with you for the rest of my life and I'd be the happiest guy in the world," he said and she looked at him. "But you, you'd always be missing something."

"Jared," she shook her head, the tears streaming down her face now. "Don't do this to us, please," she begged. "I love you and I want to be with you, no one else."

"I just don't believe you anymore, Soph," he shook his head. "I see it in your face, you're not happy with me, you're never going to fully be happy with me so what's the point?"

"The point is that I love you," she said, firmly. "And I've been trying to make this work but when you constantly tell yourself you're not good enough, it eventually becomes true."

"Don't put this on me." He glared at her.

"I'm not," she shook her head. "No matter what you think, I never had feelings for Ryan." She explained. "I care for him, yes, but it never went further than that."

"It doesn't even have anything to do with Ryan," he shook his head and she looked at him. "There's always going to be someone else who can give you more than I can, who can truly, one hundred percent make you happy, so let's just end it now before we both get hurt."

"If you think you're saving me from being hurt Jared, you're wrong because you're hurting me now." She sobbed.

Jared sighed. "You can stay for as long as you'd like," he said and she looked at him. "I'll sleep on the couch but… I think it would be best for the both of us if you went home as soon as possible."

"Jared," she said, her tone begging him to change his mind. He looked at her then shook his head, turning back to the door and going inside. She covered her mouth with her hand and began to sob.

A few moments later, the door opened and Ryan came out. She composed herself and dried her tears with her sleeve.

"Sophia, I'm so-"

"Don't say you're sorry, Ryan," she said, angrily. "We both know you're not."

"Fine, I won't then." He said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Why did you come here, Ryan?" She asked and he looked at her.

"Because I know there's something between us and I'm not willing to let it slip away," he said, walking close to her.

"Well, here's something, Ryan," she said, glaring at him. "I _don't _have feelings for you, I never have and I never will." She said and he swallowed. "So you should just leave."

"I'll call you want I get to my hotel," he nodded.

"Don't bother," she spat and he looked at her. "Just don't."

Ryan sighed and turned around to leave. Sophia sat on the floor and cried, trying to figure out what she was going to do next.

* * *

That afternoon in Minnesota, Ethan and Nora's engagement party was being held in the Germaine's backyard. The guests were mingling, eating, some even dancing but Ethan and Nora couldn't keep their hands off each other.

"Mm, maybe we should go back outside," Nora giggled as Ethan kissed her neck. They had snuck off into the living room to make-out.

"Why? No one will notice we're missing," he whispered as he continued to kiss her.

"Yeah, because it's not like this party is for us or anything," she rolled her eyes and he laughed. "Come on, I have to go see if Andria and Nick are talking."

"If I know Andria, she won't like you meddling," he warned and she looked at him.

"Oh come on, they were so good together!" She said, taking his hand as they walked to the backyard. "And I know she liked Vince but he's such a jerk, I think she should give Nick a second chance."

"I love that you're so optimistic about second chances in love," he said and she laughed. "But it doesn't mean that it'll work for everyone."

"Doesn't hurt to try!" She said, walking over to Andria. "Hey," she smiled and her friend looked at her.

"Hey, crazy girl!" She said and Nora laughed. "No, I'm serious. Getting married at eighteen, really?"

"We're waiting until we finish college!" Nora playfully slapped her. "And we're in love; we have a baby… why should we wait?"

"Because there's a little someone named Jesse, who up until a week ago was the love of your life," Andria pointed out and Nora sighed. "I know you don't want to hear this but you have to. I don't want you to regret this decision down the line…"

"I won't," Nora shook her head and spotted Nick out of the corner of her eye. "Speaking of ex-boyfriends," she said and Andria looked at her. "Have you talked to Nick lately?"

"Oh don't even go there," Andria rolled her eyes. Nora gave her a look. "Yes, we have spoken actually but it's not like that anymore."

"Why not?"

"Because he's with Abby and… well, I _want _to be with Vince but he's being stubborn," she shook her head. "He'll come around though."

"And what if he doesn't?" She asked and Andria looked at her. "What if you could have had your second chance with Nick and you missed it because you were waiting for Vince to 'come around'."

Andria smiled. "I appreciate it but it's not going to happen, okay?" She said and Nora pouted. Andria laughed. "Go find your fiancée, you're starting to annoy me."

Nora gasped and Andria giggled. The two girls hugged.

"I'm happy you're happy," Andria said and her friend looked at her. "If being married to Ethan is what you _really _want, then it's what I want for you."

"Thank-you," Nora smiled. "And if you don't want to be with Nick anymore, I guess I can understand that." she said and Andria laughed.

* * *

A little later that night, Andy sat near the bar. He had been sneaking drinks all night and hoped no one had noticed.

"Slow it down, boozy, you're starting to look like me." He turned around and spotted Jen standing in front of him.

"Funny," he nodded, taking another sip. She sat next to him. "What are you doing here? I thought you were in California."

"Yeah, that didn't work out," she said and he looked at her, an eyebrow raised. "It's a long story," she shook her head. "What about you? Where's that girlfriend of yours?"

"Boston, or Chicago, I'm not really sure," he shook his head. "She hasn't been returning my calls," he shrugged and she nodded.

"You don't seem to beat up about it," she noted and he looked at her. "What's bothering you?"

"It's a 'long story'," he mimicked her and she nodded.

"So, if I tell you mine, will you tell me yours?" She asked and he looked at her. She gave him a serious look and he nodded. "Okay, give me a drink first."

He laughed and reached behind the bar. "We've got Champagne, Jack Daniels, Tequila…"

"Tequila! Give me the Tequila!" She said and he laughed. He grabbed the bottle and quickly poured it into a plastic cup then handed it to her. "

"So, shoot," he said and she took a huge sip.

"Well, I thought I was pregnant," she said and he looked at her. It didn't even feel strange or _wrong _to be opening up to Andy like this. It almost felt… comfortable. "I'm not, obviously," she said, motioning to the drink and he nodded. "But my lovely boyfriend, or ex-boyfriend, wouldn't be able to tell you if I was or not because he didn't even show up to the appointment," she said and Andy's eyebrows rose. "Yeah, he chose a stupid soccer game over me, nice huh?"

He nodded and took another sip. "I'm still in love with Sophia." Jen spat out her drink and looked at him wide-eyed. "I don't want to be with her or anything but I still love her." He admitted. "I thought being with Alex would change that but it didn't and I think she knows it too."

"Wow," was all Jen could say. He nodded and she sighed. "Well, you clearly beat me."

"Not really," he shook his head. "That's a pretty shitty move by Aidan," he said. "I thought he was like… the perfect boyfriend."

"I thought so too but I guess I was wrong," she sighed. "I mean, he cheated on me with Melanie and then cheated on her with me, I should have known something like this would happen."

"Well, I've been there and done that so I know how you feel," he said and she laughed. "Do you want to get out of here?" He asked and she looked at him.

"If you mean what I think you mean, then yeah," she nodded. "But make sure it's what you really want, Andy."

"It is," he nodded and she stood up, taking another huge sip of her drink.

"Okay, let's get out of here then," she said and he stood up as well. "But we're walking; I don't need to land in the hospital again." He laughed and they left the party.


	10. The Break Ups

**A/N: **Sorry it's taken forever, guys. It was really hard to squeeze this one out but I managed! One more to go and then it's onto the next, and possibly final, story in this series! I hope you like it, keep the reviews coming!

* * *

Jen and Andy woke up next to each other the next morning in his bed. She rubbed her eyes and they looked at each other, he laughed.

"What's so funny, Portman?" She asked and he looked at her.

"Nothing," he shook his head and she gave him a look. "This," he said. "Us."

"How is that funny?" She asked, her eyebrow raised.

"It's just, I mean, when we were together we never…" he trailed and she nodded. "That was our first time."

She laughed. "Did I live up to your expectation?"

"You bet," he nodded. "It's just weird, I guess."

"Weird for you because you have a girlfriend," she said and he looked at her. "I still love Aidan but in my head, we're broken up so it's not like I was cheating on anyone…"

"Yeah," he nodded. "I didn't really think of that."

"Andy," she sighed. "She went away for the summer and you even said she hadn't been returning your phone calls, right?" He looked at her. "So, it's not that bad…"

"I've been cheated on, Jen, I know how it feels," he shook his head. "I can't believe I did it."

"It's my fault," she said. "I knew you had a girlfriend, I shouldn't have-"

"No," he shook his head. "It's no one's fault but mine," he said and she nodded, awkwardly. "But I think it would be better if we kept this between us."

"Yeah, of course," she nodded. They heard a knock on the door and the both sat up, nervously.

"I'm home early!" Alex came walking in with a suitcase but stopped when she looked up. "Oh my God," she said, her eyes filling with tears. "Oh my God!"

"Alex, it's not what it looks like!" Andy said, collecting his clothes.

She shook her head and quickly walked out. Andy sat back on the bed and sighed.

"Aren't you gonna go after her?" Jen asked and he shook his head.

"What's the point?" He asked. "I know Alex; this isn't something that I'll be forgiven for."

"I'm sorry," she said and he looked at her.

"It was bound to happen, I guess," he shrugged.

* * *

Back in Rome, Sophia was getting ready to go home.

"Can you give us a minute?" She asked Isabella and Massimo as they all stood outside of the dorms. They nodded and went inside. She turned to Jared and he sighed. "This can't be what you want."

"Sophia," he sighed again.

"No, Jared, I'm not leaving here without knowing if this is what you really want," she said and he looked at her. "I'm sorry Ryan came here and I'm sorry for everything that happened but… I don't want to leave you!"

"I don't want you to leave either," he shook his head. "But all this stuff with Ryan and talking with Isabella made me realize that maybe we're just not right for each other."

"Don't say that, Jared," she shook her head, holding in tears. "I love you."

"I love you too," he nodded. "I just wish it was enough," he said and she swallowed. "You should probably go… you wouldn't want to miss your flight."

"Yeah," she nodded, looking at him. "When will I see you again?"

"I don't know," he shook his head and she closed her eyes. He brought his hand up to caress her cheek. "Listen to me, you go to USC and you do your thing, okay?" He said and she looked into his eyes. "You're gonna be great, Mendoza."

"Not without you," she whispered and he sighed. She took a moment to compose herself and then looked at him. "Goodbye Jared."

She grabbed her bags and got into the cab waiting for her, not looking back.

* * *

Later that night in Minnesota, Andria was at the beach. It seemed like every night there was a party but this time, she wasn't going to have a good time. She was going to find Vince.

She spotted him near the water, talking to a bunch of girls. She frowned and walked over to him, pulling him aside.

"What the hell are you doing, Vince?" She asked and he looked at her.

"I _was _having a conversation with my friends until you rudely pulled me away," he said and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"You know what I mean," she said. "I thought you wanted to be with me."

"_Wanted_, as in the past, as in I don't want to be with you anymore," he said, coldly and she shook her head.

"You know, all this time I thought I was the one who was scared, that I was the one blocking out love but really, it's you," she said and he looked at her. "It's all you."

"What do you want me to say?" He asked and she sighed.

"Nothing," she shook her head. "Absolutely nothing," she said, walking off. "Have fun being miserable!" She shouted, walking back to her car.

Vince sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets, he had really messed up this time.

* * *

Jen finally went home later that night and was surprised to find Aidan sitting on her couch.

"Where have you been?" He asked, standing up. "I've been waiting here all day!"

"I've been out," she said, defensively. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Jen, look, I love you and I'm sorry for everything I did," he said and she sighed. "I never meant to hurt you."

"But you did." She nodded.

"I said I was sorry, what else do you want me to say?" He asked and she laughed.

"Sorry is not going to fix the fact that you abandoned me when I thought I was pregnant!" She shouted.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic," he said and she frowned. "I was there for you."

"Not when I needed you to come to the doctor's with me, not when I needed you most, Aidan!" She told him. "I was so scared Aidan, and I didn't have my boyfriend there to tell me that everything was going to be okay."

"Jen, I don't know how many times I have to say I'm sorry, I messed up big time, I know that, okay?" He said and she looked at him. "Just, please say you forgive me."

"I can't," she shook her head. "But you know what? I haven't been completely on my own since we first got together so maybe I should take some time," she said and he looked at her. "I think we should spend the rest of the summer apart, we'll both be in L.A by September so we can figure everything out then."

"You're sure about this?" He asked and she nodded slowly. "Fine, but if you change your mind… you know where to reach me."

She nodded and watched him go.

* * *

Later that night, Andy had found out the hotel that Alex was staying at through one of her friends and went there. He knew he had screwed up, big time and that Alex would probably never forgive him but he wanted to show her that he was going to fight for her.

He knocked on the door and she opened it. When she saw that it was him, she immediately slammed the door in his face.

"Alex, please," he sighed. "Just let me explain."

She opened the door again, this time with a little more fury and stepped outside. He looked at her, hopeful, but all she did was slap him hard across the face.

He held onto his face and then looked up at her. "I guess I deserved that."

"I should've known you were going to do this to me!" She yelled. "You did it to your own brother – twice! Why _wouldn't _you do it to me?"

"Look, Alex, I know you're upset-"

"Upset? I'm furious Andy!" She told him and he nodded. "I gave you everything, I trusted you with _everything _and then to go and do this… I just, I can't believe it!" She cried and he lowered his eyes. "You and Sophia deserve each other!"

He looked up at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just go, please," she shook her head. "I know you're still in love with her, do you think I'm an idiot?" She asked and he looked at her. "Go be with her, I know that's what you want."

"I want you," he stepped towards her but she backed away. "Alex…"

"I _never _want to see you again." She said and went back inside her hotel room, slamming the door once again.

Andy sighed and went to his car, not knowing what to do now.


	11. From Now On

A/N: Last chapter of this one, guys! I hope you all like it, a lot of little things being set up here.

Now, I know I said there was only one more story in this series left but... I lied. There are a group of characters from this generation that I feel I have neglected a LOT and I want to address them now. That group would be Lily and Kevin Riley, Zach Reed and Lily Vanderbilt. Don't remember them? I don't blame you since I haven't really mentioned them in a while. I have some ideas for them in mind and plan to write a really short fic for them, about 15 chapters or so. Then, I'll move on to some of the younger siblings of theses characters which I have semi-introduced in the past four fics and then I will FINALLY move onto the last story of this series, which will take place about seven years into the future from this one. I hope that wasn't too complicated for you to understand? If it was, tell me in a review and I'll do my best to explain.

Be on the lookout for the next installment in this series called, **Wonderland: The Inseparable Four**, which should be up within the next few days. I hope to see you there! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!

* * *

The next day, Alex was in her hotel room, packing her things. She _would _have been on her way to Chicago with Andy if he hadn't cheated on her. She still couldn't believe he had done it and the fact that he had slept with Jen was even worse. She always expected him to cheat on her with Sophia, if he ever did.

She sighed and threw folded more clothes into her suitcase when there was a knock at the door. She looked up and immediately became angry, there were only two people in Minnesota who knew where she was staying.

She opened the door and Andy appeared, like she had expected him to. She folded her arms over her chest and glared at him.

"I don't want to talk to you," she said, closing the door but he stopped her.

"Just hear me out, please," he begged.

"No, I don't want to hear anything you have to say, Andy," she said. "You slept with someone else; I can't forgive you for that, end of story."

"You weren't returning any of my phone calls, I…" He stopped when she shot him an angry looked. "No, I'm sorry; this is all my fault, not yours."

"You're damn right it's all your fault," she said, harshly. "Why are you even here? You can't be stupid enough to think that some lame attempt at an apology will fix everything."

"No, of course not," he shook his head, a little surprised at the harshness of her words. He had never seen her this mad before. "But it was worth a try…"

She laughed. "Well, congratulations Andy, you tried." She said and he looked at her. She lifted her suitcase off the bed and onto the ground. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a plane to catch."

"Wait, where are you going?" He asked and she looked at him. "You're going back to Boston?"

"No," she shook her head. "If you wouldn't have _cheated _on me then you would have had the chance to hear about me moving in with my dad, my real one." She said and he looked at her surprised. "That's why I didn't call you, I was too busy dealing with my parents freaking out and paper work and all that stuff," she shook her head. "Not that it's any of your business anymore."

"Oh," he sighed, feeling guilty for using the fact that she hadn't been calling him as an excuse to sleep with Jen. "Well, I'm going to miss you."

"Yeah," she rolled her eyes. "Too bad I can't say the same for you." She said and wheeled her suitcase outside of the hotel. Once she had been settled into her cab, she broke down crying. It was hard for her to keep her composure in front of Andy, she didn't want him to know how much she was hurting but the truth was, she was heartbroken over it and she didn't know if she would ever get over it.

* * *

Luis and Livvie had just picked up Sophia from the airport and she was finally home.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay, sweetie?" Livvie asked, as they brought her bags inside.

"Yeah," Sophia nodded, looking at her obviously concerned parents. "I just need to be alone for a while."

"I'll bring your things up in a bit, okay?" Luis said and she nodded. He kissed her forehead and she slowly walked upstairs.

"I'm worried about her," Livvie said and Luis looked at his wife.

"She'll pull through," he nodded, wrapping his arm around her. "She always does."

Meanwhile, Sophia finally made it to her room and stopped when she saw Andria sitting on the bed, flipping through a magazine. With everything going on, she had forgotten that her cousin was staying in her room for the summer.

"Sophia, you're home!" She said, excitedly and stood up but then stopped when she saw how sad her cousin looked. Sophia had called her and told her all the details about her and Jared's breakup so she knew how much she was hurting. She pulled her into a hug and Sophia started crying. "Sh, it's gonna be okay."

"No, it's not," Sophia pulled away. "How could I have done this to him, _again_?" She asked and Andria looked at her. "I messed up big I know time and now I lost Jared for good."

"Don't say that," Andria shook her head. "I know you feel bad but this isn't your fault," she said and Sophia looked at her. "You can't beat yourself up over this."

"It's just, for the longest time I thought Jared was the one for me," she started. "And I know all the stuff with Andy and now Ryan happened but I always came back to Jared, I always wanted to be with Jared and I still do but he doesn't." she said, sadly.

"You're crazy if you think that's true," she said and Sophia looked at her. "Jared loves you, he's always going to love you and he's _always _going to want to be with you," Andria told her. "And if you guys are meant to be together then that's how it's going to be but if not, you'll find the guy who you are meant to be with and Jared will be a beautiful memory," she said and Sophia swallowed. "But don't do this to yourself."

"I just need to cry a little bit, is that okay?" She asked and Andria smiled softly.

"Of course it is," she nodded and hugged her as Sophia cried in her arms.

* * *

A little later that night, after calming Sophia down, Andria went to Vince's apartment. After all the consoling and telling Sophia that if two people were meant to be together, they would be together, she knew what she had to do. She didn't care how long Vince wanted to play these games, she just knew she wanted to be with him.

She knocked on the door but there was no answer. She sighed and turned the doorknob and it surprisingly opened. She walked in and was shocked when everything was gone. The furniture, the food… Vince.

She stopped when she saw a white envelop on the floor. She took a deep breath and walked over to it. She picked it up and saw her name on it. She quickly opened it to read it.

_I'll miss you, Andria. _

She closed her eyes and brought her hand to her mouth in shock. Her eyes filled with tears and she fell to the floor, sobbing.

* * *

Sophia was taking a walk on the beach that night to clear her head. She hadn't been able to get her mind off Jared and Ryan and everything that happened, she just wanted to be alone.

She looked up and stopped when she saw Ryan sitting near the fire. It was one of the last bonfires of the summer but there weren't too many people there, most of them had already left for college.

She looked in the other direction, hoping he wouldn't see her but it was too late. She kept walking but he caught up to her.

"Sophia," he called after her and she stopped. "Sophia," he said again, standing in front of her. She simply stared at him. "I… it's good to see you."

"I don't need this right now, okay?" She told him. "I'm confused enough as it is."

"Confused?" He repeated and she looked at him. "About what?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'll finally say it out loud, okay? I'm confused about my feelings for you," she said and he looked at her. "There, I said it, are you happy now?"

"Not if you aren't," he shook his head and she looked at him. "Look, I never meant to hurt you or cause you and Jared to break up, I just, I needed you to know how I felt and how you felt about me."

"Well, now you know," she said. "But don't you dare expect anything to happen because it won't," she said and he looked at her. "I need to stop being so selfish and be on my own for once in my life." She explained. "I need to just take sometime and figure out what I want."

"I'm okay with that," he nodded.

"I'm not making any promises," she shook her head.

"I'm okay with that too," he nodded. "As long as we can at least be friends,"

She looked at him skeptically. "I'll be in California and you'll be in Indiana," she stated. "What would be the point?"

He laughed. "Well, there's always the phone, e-mails, stuff like that," he shrugged and she looked at him nervously. "We don't have to talk everyday or anything but every now and then…"

"Fine," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Friends," she nodded and he smiled. "I better go finish my walk," she said and he nodded. "I'll see you around."

He nodded and watched her go with a smile on his face, hoping that this was just the beginning.


End file.
